Michael’s Makins: Outdated/updated wine rack for Megan

Michael wanted to make a nice wine rack for my Megan (son Elliot’s girlfriend) for her birthday.  He had made a couple of BIG, custom ones for someone before. The kind where he cut out half circles in the wood  for the wine bottle to fit in.  They were a LOT of work.  And I didn’t really ‘like’ the end result.  Completely functional and sturdy and all, just not very ‘pretty’.

So, while I was out thrifting a few weeks ago, I picked up this wrought iron and wicker wine rack VERY inexpensively.  Thinking that Michael could use just the bottle holder part, then build a nice cabinet to hold it.   It sat in our living room for a week or so, and I was noticing how it didn’t ‘sit’ very sturdily on those tiny legs.  And it is was a bit unsteady EMPTY, what was it going to be like FULL of wine bottles?!?  So, I flipped it upside down, and voila!  Nice and sturdy.  So that is what Michael did when he built the casing for it; set it upside down.

And here’s what we ended up with.  Using all recaimed birch plywood.  Not bad, eh?  And it sits VERY straight and sturdy.  We don’t know Megan well enough to have selected a color for her.  And Elliot had recently built her a couple of bar stools for the overly high counter in her apartment; so we figured she’d be doing some painting soon anyhow, and left the wine rack unfinished.

There’s the wicker ‘top’, at the bottom.

And we wanted to give it a bigger top serving area.   But this left her no place for wine glasses.  Elliot had told us she prefers the new style of stemless wine glasses; because they don’t break as easily.

It’s a tad difficult to envision how this shelf works because it’s intended to be hung on the wall, above the rack, to hold glasses.

I could only take a picture of it set on top of the rack though.  The ledge across the front so the glasses can’t slip off was a great idea on Michael’s part.  I had suggested just a big open box type of shadow box, that glasses could sit on the bottom and top of.  Michael’s design idea is much more thought out.

So, now she’s got her bar stools and wine rack and all set to be the party hostess!

Michael’s makins ~ shabby white fence board tables

Just took this new batch of three shabby white fence board tables that Michael made to my booth st Stars.

This first one is a low coffee table, or a bench.

Price is $59.95.

He also made these two, similarly styled  (but not quite matched to the coffee table) end tables or night stands.

The apron is on all four sides of the end tables; but just on the long sides of the coffee table.

The end tables are $32.95 each.

And while we’re talking about white fence boards . . . I’ve also got this white picket bird house peg shelf.  It hangs on the wall and has two ‘clothespin’ pegs for hanging things from.   $59.95.

The vendor who was on the wall behind my booth, and had put up the ‘extension wall’ of chicken wire that showed through on my side of the space that I HATED . . . moved to a bigger space and took his monstrosity down.  I had TRIED to hide it a bit by placing a picket fence section on my side.  Now that I don’t need it for that anymore, it’s for sale:  $19.95.

And it’s just about the perfect size to use as a headboard for a twin bed!

The rustic headboard – in it’s new home

Just a quick reminder of what our inspiration piece was:

And here’s what Becka, the purchaser of the rustic headboard did with the one we built for her:

And installed:

I seldom (NEVER!) get to see what purchasers do with the items they buy from us, so this is a REAL TREAT for me!

Thanks Becka, and sweet dreams! 

Custom order: Rustic wood head board

(pardon the background!  Just imagine this head-board behind a beautifully made bed piled with pillows!)

CUSTOM ORDER QUEEN SIZE RUSTIC WEATHERED WOOD HEAD BOARD MADE BY MICHAEL.

Naturally weathered cedar fence sections, cut to size and mounted on ‘legs’ for mounting to the wall.

Below is the ‘inspiration’ (found on Pinterest), the customer plans on doing the writing for herself.

Michael made his ‘evenly lined up’ along the sides, as opposed to the inspiration one that is a bit ‘jagged; on the sides.  Which do YOU like better?    Would you want to pay MORE for the ‘un-even sided’ one, IF that is your preference?  (it WOULD take a lot more time and effort to make that way, as opposed to evenly lined up)

We don’t have to wood to make a LOT of these, but can offer to make a few more as custom orders.  As shown in the first picture, in Queen size is $50.00.

NEW IN MY BOOTH AT STARS: Rustic weathered wood beach furniture.

Michael was in the mood to do some furniture building last week, so now I’ve got some awesome rustic weathered wood pieces in my booth at Stars!

TWO sweet (and STURDY!) little end tables.

Wonderfully weathered gray wood.
VERY reasonable priced at $29.95 each.

 

BIG rustic weathered wood coffee table.

This one sells for $59.95

And this simpler plank coffee table is $49.95.

I was going to add a quick coat of gray wood wash to ‘even out’ the fade pattern on the top, but Michael thought it added interest, and wanted it left as is.  He won.  Whomever purchases it can always even up the color on top.  But once it’s covered up, there’s no going back.  Path of least resistance won out!

Tiny little stool or plant prop.  $8.00  I use a LOT of little stools like this in my display work as risers!

An old weathered gray tray.  (as found)

And I made a batch of hand lettered signs on the scraps he had left over!

Signs are $10.00 each.

 

 

 

 

Added some new white dishes too.  Don’t you just LOVE the lacey cut out on those plates on the bottom of this stack??

The weathered wood stuff goes beautifully with the beachy blues!

Stars is open 7 days a week; 11am – 6pm.

Michael’s coastal cottage salvaged wood coffee table ~ trash to treasure!

He made one for OUR living room a year or so ago.  Finally got around to making one to SELL in our space.

Constructed entirely of reclaimed fence boards and 4×4’s.  ALL of which were procured for FREE from local fencing companies.  (They remove the old fence when they install new, and give away the old leftover stuff.  All you have to do is ASK.  Just be aware that USUALLY those old fenceboards will be in full 8′ sections!)

The legs are ‘stabilized’ with an ‘apron’ made using the same fence boards, just cut into narrower widths.

He left the wood UNsanded, at my request.  I wanted as much of the natural texture as possible to remain.

I did do a little bit of ‘prep sanding’ as you can see above, to get the ‘exposed’ part of the boards to more closely match the lower unexposed part in color.  I was planning on ‘dry brushing’ the paint on, which means the wood color will still show through some.

Not a perfect match, but close enough!

The legs, made from 4×4’s didn’t have the same weathered raised grain texture as the top and sides; so I painted them solid, instead of dry brush style.  When parts of your piece aren’t an exact match, it’s best to enhance the CONTRAST.

 This closer look at the table top so you can see how the raw wood shows through, AND how the little bit of sanding I did at the edge was sufficient for getting the finished top to match.

This distressed white finish goes with MANY different decorating styles: shabby chic, beach cottage, farmhouse, even Victorian, by adding a pretty lace doily.

It has gone to my space at Stars in Portland; $64.00.  Right now it’s ‘kinda buried’ with a bunch of other stuff stacked on top of it.   I will move it to the front of the space for better visibility, as soon as that window pane shelf sells.

Thinking about bringing in more white items in the near future, just to change things up a little.  I LOVE the beachy blue, just need a little variation once in a while.

My new PANTRY!!!!

I LOVE IT!!!

Look how ROOMY this baby is???

Soooooooooooooooo much nicer than the 2′ deep kitchen cupboards that I never knew what the heck was shoved way in the back!

Michael built the shelf from scratch.  We used an old pair of shutter doors that I had painted turquoise to use for display at shows, and some old copper color door pulls.

I decided to paint the inside yellow instead of white. Still nice and bright, but easier to keep clean.  (Plus, I had a lot of left over yellow paint to use up!)

Michael designed the height of the shelves to perfectly fit the canned goods stacked two high.

Close up of the construction detail: Michael built a basic ‘bookshelf’  design, then added front trim, which is what we attached the doors to. Michael thought the extra support that the trim added would be a good idea since we’d be storing a lot of heavy items. As you can see, his forethought was WISE!

Picture at the base. As with ALL the items that Michael and I build from scratch, here’s who we did it:

* I give him an idea of what I want.

* He sketches it out and figures measurements.

* He cuts all the pieces.

*I sand and paint all the pieces BEFORE he puts them together. MUCH faster to paint that way!

* Then he puts it together using an air nailer, and I touch up the paint a tad.

VOILA!!!

NOW, I just have to figure out what to do with this STUPID little accent window. WHY in the world would you put a frosted window on the wall between the kitchen and dining room?!?!?! I hate them! And this is just ONE of Four of them throughout the house. As you may be able to tell in the photo, we have a bookcase in front of the window on the other side. How can I disguise this one?!?!?

This is my cute little turquoise ‘retro’ clock that I got at Target. I also have a bunch of vintage red/white enamelware pans that I will probably hang on this wall, and maybe on the side of the pantry. Maybe I should just make a curtain to hang over the window??? I’ll have to search for some vintage looking red and turquoise fabric.

Didn’t get a heck of a lot else done in the kitchen last night. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot and I was pretty fatigued after they took so much blood yesterday. I did get one tiny corner of the counter ‘prettied up’ though:

Still awaiting the HIGH temp for the day to hit. Last I looked at our home outside thermometer it was 110!!! (I wish I was kidding!)